Essential Building Blocks
by Kiku-chan214
Summary: The one girl who ever broke his heart didn't just leave, She took something of his with her.Lily turned up in the lobby with a large brown stuffed dog, backpack, suitcase, and a letter from that one girl.The two must learn the game of life from each other
1. Lillian Jean Storm

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Fantastic 4 but I wouldn't be the least bit sad if I could borrow Johnny for a little while :D Just a thought...**

**A/N: No flames please. I will accept cunstructive criticism, but dont go on a rant about how much I suck. And I know there are about infinity and one of these stories but I like the idea. So there! lol!**

**Title: Basic Learning Blocks**

**Chapter: Lillian Jean Storm**

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Johnny flipped through the t.v. channels, full of disinterest. No one but him was home and there really wasn't anything to do at noon on a Wednesday. The intercom buzzed and Johnny looked at it, as if expecting someone else to get it. remembering he was alone, he got up and hit the 'talk' button.

"Yeah Jimmy?" he asked the doorman.

"Uh...Mr. Storm, you may want to come down here quickly." Jimmy sounded nervous.

"What is it?" Johnny asked impatiently.

"Your not gonna believe it unless you see it." With that, Jimmy hung up.

Johnny sighed as he made his way to the elevator. "Savesme from being bored." He mumbled to himself.

He reached the lobby floor and walked to Jimmy's desk. His face turned from an expression of boredom, to looking puzzled. A little girl about five stood talking to Jimmy quietly. She had a large brown stuffed dog, a backpack, and a small suitcase with her. She had curly blonde hair and bright blue eyes.

Jimmy stood up with a letter in his hands and handed it to Johnny. "She said her mom told her she was gonna live with her father now Mr. Storm. I think she means you." Jimmy could definately see the resmblance between the two.

Johnny took the letter and slowly opened it. It took him a moment to break his gaze from the girl to the paper.

_My dearest Johnny,_

_If your reading this, it means you've met your daughter. It also means I can't take care of her anymore because I'm no longer here, as some might say. Her name is Lillian Jean... Storm I guess. I know that the last time I spoke to you I told you I was leaving and now you know the reason. I never stopped loving you, no matter what you thought. I wasn't sure how you'd handle having a child when we'd only just gotten engaged. I know it's not fair for me to ask so much of you after all this time, but I don't know what else to do. She has nowhere else to go. Please be the father I now realize you can be. _

_Love always,_

_Vivian_

He shook his head disbelievingly. How could a short letter have so much infortmation for him to comprehend it it. He definately remembered Vivian. He remembered her everyday as the first and last girl to ever break his heart and he'd never let it happen since. Now he had a daughter? He couldn't help but feel hurt that Viv hadn't told him.

"Mr. Storm?" Jimmy looked concerned.

"Uh..." He looked at Lillian with a slight twinge of guilt for not being there for her. He bent over to about her level was uncertain as to what to say to her. "So, your name is Lillian?" She nodded with a slight smile.

"Everyone just calls me Lily though." She said confidently.

"Alright, Lily, why don't we go upstairs." He asked, holding out a hand for her to take. She nodded and took his hand. He picked uip her suitcase.

Now they sat in the livingroom in silence. Johnny trying to think of what to say. "Have you had lunch?"

She nodded, "Mr. Stark stopped by Burger King on our way here."

Johnny went rigid. "Who's Mr. Stark."

"He was the our nextdoor neighbor." She said as if it was the most commonly known thing. "The mommy's lawyer read the will and asked if Mr. Stark could bring me here."

"You know what a lawyer and a will is?" He asked skeptically.

"Yep! Mommy explained it to me when she was in the hospital. After she told me I was gonna come live with you." She paused and an uncertain look appeared on her face. You are my daddy, right?"

"Yeah." He said, letting the words sink in. He knew he could learn how to take care of the kid, but it would be harder to actually get to know her without thinking of Viv. The wound was slowly reopening and he wasn't sure he could handle it.

"Mommy said I was going to go to the same school too!" She said happily. "I didn't want to leave my friends!"

He looked up at her suddenly, "What school?"

"Smoketree!" She had a wide grin plastered on her face.

_'Great'_ Johnny thought _'The one way she looks like her mother just had to be her smile' _He felt a twinge of pain in his heart.

"Smoketree is two blocks away." He mumbled to himself.

"We're home!" He heard Sue call out. "Johnny, we brought food from-" She walked into the room and froze in midsentence. "Who's our guest?" She asked, confused. Reed walked in behind her, carrying their son, Mason.

"Uh... Sue, I need to talk to you." He looked at Lily, "Lily, this is Reed." She waved excitedly at her new friend. "Reed, could you watch her for a second?"

"Sure." The older man put his son in the playpen and introduced himself to Lily.

Johnny watched on, forgeting what he was going to do until Sue grabbed his arm and pulled him into the kitchen. "Johnny, who is she?" Sue asked impatiently.

"Remember Vivian?" Johnny started. Sue shook her head dumbly.

"She left you Johnny, it's hard to forget her."

"Well, apparently, she took something of mine with her." He worded it carefully.

Sue's eyes grew wide. "No..." She shook her head in shock.

"Yeah. Her names Lillian Jean Storm, she's seven, and she goes to Smoketree Elementry School."

"Smoketree is just-"

"A few blocks away, I know. Which means when she left, she stayed."

"Is this her way of trying to get you back or something?" She asked, suddenly angry.

"Sue, she's dead." He said calmly. "I dont think it's her way of doing anything accept being sure her daughter is taken care of." He walked out of the kitchen and back to where Reed and Lily were playing with Mason.

"He's so small!" She laughed.

"Yeah? Well you were to when you were his age." Reed smiled and she giggled. Johnny smiled. She not only smiled like Viv, but she had the same laugh too.

"Johnny?" Sue stood next to him, "Does she know about Vivian?"

"Yeah, she knows." Lily turned at the sound of his voice.

"He's really my cousin?" She asked hopefully.

"Yeah." Johnny confirmed. "You've met Uncle Reed. This is Aunt Sue."

Sue smiled at him before walking to her and knealing down, "Nice to meet you."

"You too! I'm Lily!" She shook Sue's hand.

"Would you like to know where your room is?" Sue smiled as Lily nodded. "Why don't you ask your dad to show you and I'll go get some blankets for you."

Lily turned back to Johnny, "Will you please?" The five year old in her was starting to show more now.

"Sure, why not." He new the lok that was forming on her face as she walked over to him. She'd want to be picked up. The fact that she held her arms above her head was proof of that.

"Go ahead." Sue whispered as Johnny looked at her with uncertianty.

He carefuly picked her up and rested her on his side. She smiled slyly. A smile Johnny didn't fail to notice. She definately was going to be too smart for her and his own good, just like he'd been. Adding to the list of similarities between them, she had an agenda when it came to getting him to open up, he knew it, and she wouldn't fail, because he'd never failed.

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**A/N:I hope you like it! This will be my 7th F4 story I think, so hopefully it's not too bad or I'll have to question the reviews for those other ones... Again, no flames but constructive criticism welcome. Yes, there is a difference, and yes, I know what that difference is!**

**A/A/N: Just so you know, I was Patienceless not long ago, I changed my name. Just thought I'd let you guys who've read my stuff before know.**

**Until later!**

**Kiku**


	2. Deviants at Work

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Fantastic 4 but I wouldn't be the least bit sad if I could borrow Johnny for a little while :D Just a thought...**

**A/N: as an extra disclaimer: Your Guardian Angel belongs to Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, not me. **

**Song: Your Guardian Angel by Red Jumpsuit Apparatus**

**Title: Basic Learning Blocks**

**Chapter: Deviants at work**

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Lily sat at the dinner table in a chair with a dictionary, just so she could see over the table. She smiled as Sue set a plate of food in front of her. She looked at it, puzzled.

"What is this Auntie Sue?" She poked at it with her fork.

"That's salmon and spinach, hun" Sue hadn't thought about possible allergies. "Johnny! Could you look through her bags for some documentation really quick?" She called. In a few minutes he appeared in the kitchen witha large envelope.

He spread it on the counter. "We have...birth certificate, medical history, and...pictures." He looked at them in aww. Most were of just Lily herself over the years, but there were also some with Vivian and Lily laughing, playing, and even one where it looked like they were passed out on the couch together. Viv hadn't changed one bit. Her hazel eyes held his attention, even in the pictures.

"Johnny?" Sue broke him from his daze. "What are her allergies?"

"He ruffled through the medical papers and found what he was looking for. "No allergies Sue."

"What are allergies Uncle Reed?" Lily asked him as he sat at the table.

"It's kinda hard to explain Sweetheart, but its pretty much when your around something your body doesn't like, it reacts in a way that could be bad for you." He explained.

"Hm." She said, losing interest and turning back to her plate. "Are you sure this is edible Auntie Sue?"

Johnny snickered as Sue put the washcloth she'd been holding onto the counter.

Reed had a timid smile on his face, "She sure sounds like Johnny." Sue glared at him.

"Yes, its edible hun."

"Pretty big vocabulary she has, doesn't she?" Reed asked, trying to lighten the mood. "Uh...I called Ben and explained everything to him. Did someone tell Lily about his...state?"

"Yeah." Johnny said, still laughing. As if on que, the large boulder like man walked into the kitchen. Lily stared at him in aww as if he were some kind of great protector.

"Oh God. It's true? A Johnny clone?!" he asked, mellow dramatically.

Lily got a big smile on her face. "Yep!"

Ben chuckled and sat down on a reinforced chair next to her. "Hey there kid, I'm Ben."

"I'm Lily and I need a second opinion." She said energetically.

"On what?" Ben asked.

"Whether or not this food is safe to eat. Look at it!" She pointed at it. "I think it's moving! I swear I saw it move! IT'S ALIVE!" She yelled, jumping off her chair and collapsing on the ground.

Johnny could hardly contain his laughter now. Sue turned to him suspectingly. "That's not funny Johnny."

"I don't know Susie, you didn't see the look on your face." He sat down on the other side of Lily.

"Well it's not something to be teaching your daughter." She reprimanded.

"Sorry Sue." Johnny tried to hide any left over traces of amusement. "Lils, comeon, get up, Auntie Sue is being a spoil-sport."

**ZZZZZZZ**

Johnny sat on the couch with Lily pased out on his lap. He felt her soft breath and traced through the events of the day. He'd gotten along with her from the begining. It wouldn't be as big of a problem to get to know her as he'd thought.

He brushed a strand of her hair from her face and watched her for a while before a tap on his shoulder took him from his thoughts.

It was Sue with a warm smile on her face. "You probably want to take her to bed now Johnny." She suggested.

Johnny nodded and picked her up as he stood. Her head rested on his shoulder and her arms immeddiately rapped around his neck. It seemed as if his heart stopped beating for a moment.

He slowly walked into her room and set her underneath the covers of her bed. He kissed her on the forhead before standing again.

"Daddy?" Her soft voicecame from under the large comforter.

"Yeah Lily?" He turned back to see her sitting up.

"Will you sing to me?" She clutched her stuffed dog.

"Sure." He sat on the edge of the bed and started singing the only lullaby he could think of. _"Twinkle Twinkle-"_

"No!" She laughed. "I'm to old for those!"

"Then what?" He chuckled.

"I don't know..." She shrugged. "Mommy sang songs that I heard on the radio sometimes..."

"Ok." He took a moment to think.

"_When I see your smile, tears run down my face. I can't replace._

_And now that I'm strong I have figured out how this world turns cold and it breaks through my soul._

_And I know I'll fing deep inside of me, I can be the one._

_I will never let you fall. I'll stand up with you forever._

_I'll be there for you through it all. Even if saving you sends me to heaven._

_It's ok. It's ok. It's ok._

_Seasons are changeing and waves are crashing and stars are falling._

_All for us._

_Days grow longer and nights grow shorter._

_I can show you I'll be the one. _

_I will never let you fall, I'll stand up with you forever._

_I'll be there for you through it all. Even if saving you sends me to heaven._

_'Cause you my, your my, my._

_My true love, my whole world, please don't through that away._

_'Cause I'm here for you._

_Please don't walk away and please tell me you stay._

_Use me as you will pull my strings just for a thrill._

_and I know I'll be ok, though my skys are turning grey_

_I will never let you fall, I'll stand up with you forever._

_I'll be here for you through it all. Even if saving you sends me to heaven."_

He looked down to see her fast asleep. Kissing her forehead one last time, he stood and left her room. He needed to think and a glass of milk and a talk with Sue could clear everything up for him. He walked into the livingroom to see her waiting for him.

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**A/N: the next chapter will NOT be Sue and Johnny's discussion. I'm too Lazy to think up so much of the stuiff that would need to be said! LOL! review please!**

**Kiku**


	3. Keys

**Hello there! I've been going through this old account of mine and this is the only story I still like so far… For that, I am going to add to it! YAY! I suggest a little musics sometimes: Skinny Love by Birdy/ Bon Iver- Whoever.**

The next morning, Reed poured over the paper work, searching for any clue that Lily might be more like them than she appeared.

Johnny had woken, half expecting to see she had crawled into bed with him- he anticipated that with children, but she had stayed put all night. Not even a shift.

He shuffled out to the kitchen, opened the fridge and got out a carton of eggs. He glanced at the clock: 9:45 a.m. He hadn't gotten up that early without prompt in years.

He noticed the pictures still on the counter where he'd left them the night before. He ignored those and grabbed up the bag still on the floor. It was filled with clothes, but one little pocket held a sealed envelope.

He stared at it, his whole body going numb. Whatever it was, there were keys in there. Keys or something else, he didn't know what. He fought his desire to put it back as though it had never been found and carefully opened it.

He'd been right, they were keys. He held them tightly, knowing they meant something, though not knowing just what.

Then, a note. Just what he'd never wanted to see. Something more personal then 'I'm dead, here's your daughter.' He knew some part of him was bitter but that part wasn't speaking up so he pulled the paper out and unfolded it.

_Johnny Storm,_

_These are the keys to Vivian's apartment (Lily knows the address). Vivian packed what Lily needed for a day or so, but the remainders of their belongings are there. She asked me not to, but I think her father would appreciate knowing she is no longer with us. I do not know how to get ahold of him, I was hoping you would. Vivian's services will be on July eighteenth at my own apartment across the hall. I hope to speak with you then._

_Sincerely,_

_James Stark_

Johnny placed the note and keys on the table and turned back to the carton of eggs cracked them into a bow and set about making omelets.

"Are you alright?" Sue asked quietly behind him. He heard her shift the keys aside. Poking about was what Sue did best. "I can go. Reed and I can go get what she needs and the rest-"

"Its okay, Sue. I'll go." He focused on the eggs.

"You won't be alone okay?" She ventured.

He loved his sister, he really did, but he'd love her more if she'd leave it be.

"I think I just wanna go with Lily. Okay?" He shifted.

"Okay." She walked over and softly patted his back. "I love you, little brother."

He looked down at her, a worried look still plastered on her face. "Love you too, sis."

A few hours later, he and Lily stood in front of the apartment door. Not even a ten minute walk from his own. That's what he struggled with most of all.

"Do you want me to open it?" She asked, timidly. She had picked up that he was upset about five minutes into staring at the door.

He smiled down at her. She was masquerading as patient, but he knew she longed for the security of her old room. He chuckled a little, despite himself and handed her the keys. "Yea, go for it."

The door flew open and the girl disappeared. Johnny slowly stepped in, taking in everything. The coat rack just inside the door with a pile of shoes. The drawings tacked up and the toys littering the floors. As he continued forward, the drawings turned into framed pictures. Lily on her bike, Lily's first birthday, Lily at the park. Some were duplicate of what had been in the bag.

And then it wasn't Lily. It was before. It was a collage of Vivian in middle school, Vivian in Peru the year before they'd met and Vivian with her grandmother who'd died of the same cancer that killed her.

A little further and it was Vivian at Niagara Falls. Vivian at Niagara Falls with him. He hadn't expected it. Some part of him had still felt that she hadn't loved him or that he'd done something wrong. But that picture of them together- that was off his radar. He pictured Lily asking who her father was and Vivian pointing to that picture. He imagined Lily studying it for hours and after she went to sleep, Vivian just smiling at it- a glass of wine in her hand.

Whatever she did, she paved the way for Lily to know and trust exactly who he was. He wasn't sure if he should be grateful for that.

He began taking things off of the walls and piling them in the boxes he'd brought. Sue had suggested he take them home and put them up. She'd said it might make Lily feel more comfortable.

"What happened?" He looked around the room filled with relics from their relationship. Pictures of them and souvenirs of places they'd been to around the city.

When he finished the living room he went hunting for Lily. He silently walked down the hall and opened the first door he came to. It was Lily's room, but she wasn't there. He went to the next room, opened the door, and stepped in. Vivian's room.

Much more adult and very empty. It looked like it hadn't been touched in weeks. Lily was curled up on the bed holding a pillow, quietly crying.

He walked over and sat on the bed, gently petting her hair. She pulled herself up and wrapped her arms around his neck. She'd been so light and happy he'd forgotten how devastated she was supposed to be.

"Can we go?" She asked into his shoulder.

He took a deep breath. It was good they came here, but they'd both gotten what they needed from it. "Yea, let's go." He stood up and she gently took his hand.

**A/N It's been a while, I thought this was a fair length for a returning type chapter. Although, I would like some reviews just to know that it is being read and appreciated. I'm a Sophomore in college so as busy I am I'd like to know my efforts are not being wasted. Thank you EVERYONE!**

**Kiku**


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